Chapter 6 | Bhagavad Gita Class

BHAGAVAD GITA CHAPTER 6

Aatmaa Sayam Yog (The Yoga Of Meditation)

The chapter 6 study classes will cover:

•A complete step-by-step guide to meditation to unwrap the gift and power inside you: the clothes you should wear, what you should avoid having in the room, what you should eat during the day, how to sit, the importance of being at rest, the importance of constancy, the importance of being alone and in solitude, the importance of the place being pure, the height of the seat, what the seat should be covered with, the direction you should face, how you should sit, where you should look and concentrate, chanting the AUM, activating the chakras, breathing techniques and what you should do while meditating.

•A complete step-by-step guide to chanting mantras: meanings, pronunciation, concentration and visualisation.

•A study of Patanjali’s Yog Sutra. The first sutra of how to perform works on the path of Yoga. The second sutra of why we perform these activities. The third sutra about the five types of klesha (colourings) that we must get rid of: Avidhyā (ignorance), Asmita (egotism), Rāga (attachment to objects), Dvesh (duality) and Abhinivesha (partiality).

•How to attain peace of mind and a mindset where nothing in the outside world can affect you. A study of the Shrimad Bhagavad.

•The nine categories of people in this world and how to distinguish between them: friends, companions and foes, those who are neutral and impartial, those who are hateful and related, saints and sinners.

•The three things needed to make the mind steady and concentrated.

•An explanation of kamnas (desires) and vasnas (mental impressions) and how to be free from them

•The importance of balance in Yoga: how not to eat too much and not to eat too little; how to not sleep too much and not be awake too much.

•The goal posts of how much you are succeeding in meditation: dhāranā, dhyān, sampragnyāt Samādhi, asampragnyāt Samādhi, sabij Samādhi, nirbij Samādhi.

•The concepts of dhyātā (the meditator), dhyān (the meditation) and dhyey (the goal of meditation), and what happens to them during meditation

•The two types of Samadhi (Divine Experiences): sampragnyāt Samādhi and ansampragnyāt Samādhi.

•The eight types of siddhis (spiritual powers) one attains when they attain advanced states of consciousness during meditation but still have vasnas (mental imprints) remaining e.g. realising whatever one desires, possessing absolute Lordship, reducing one’s body to the size of an atom.

•The steps needed to make the mind fixed on the Self: as soon as the mind begins thinking about external objects then bring it back to the Self; wherever the mind goes then worship the Supreme Soul there; when thoughts of the material world come then understand that this is not wrong and just witness the impurities going out; knowing clearly in your mind that you are not of the material world and the material world is not yours but you are God’s and God is yours; taking all the burdens of the world out of your mind; chanting svaha, ha or hu when selfish thoughts come to your mind; opening and closing your eyelids seven times when other thoughts come to your mind; and exhale three times with great force as if you are clearing all the air in your body before you begin breathing.

•The consequences of Yoga: attaining peace of mind, passions being at rest, becoming stainless and becoming one with God. The difference between the words shant (quiet) and prashant (peaceful).

•The periodic stages of sleep and how research has shown that dreams are the safety valve in the house of the mind.

•How the fear of the other person goes away and how to be fearless when speaking in front of people. Two examples from the East (Swami Vivekananda) and from the West (Winston Churchill).

•Arjuna’s question about the five characteristics of the mind: fickle, impetous, strong, obstinate and as difficult to control as the wind.

•The seven conclusions we can draw about what ShreeKrushna says about the mind in the Gita: the mind always creates illusions; if one tries to force or suppress the mind then they will have no luck; one should use their understanding to bring the mind under control; one should keep the mind free from fickleness and under control; the mind can only be free from fickleness when one renounces the desire to enjoy material objects in their mind; devotion to God gives one peace of mind; and after continuous efforts one can control the mind.

•A study of the Kaushitaki Upanishad about knowing the mind in its entirety.

•A study of the Sadhyapan about the relationship between meditation and the mind.

•A study of the Keno Upanishad about the fickleness of the mind.

•A study of the Chandogya Upanishad about how the mind can be made still.

•A study of the Brihadaranakya Upanishad about the potential of the mind.

•A study of the Maitriya Upanishad about what the mind does during the waking and sleeping states.

•A study of the Gambabindhu Upanishad about churning the mind.

•A study of the Skanda Purana about cleaning the mind of dirt.

•A study of the Amrutado Upanishad about the importance of constant practice in meditation

•A study of the Anu Gita in the Ashvameda book of the Mahabharata about how long it takes to attain God through meditation.

•A study of people’s body language and how this shows what they are thinking.

•A study of a favourite verse of Saints in India (verse 40) and how much it gives one assurance: “never does one who does good, dear friend, tread the path of woe”. Why one should have this verse written on their mirror and their door.

•What happens when one who practices Yoga fails to attain the Supreme Soul before they leave this body. The story of Jadbharat in the fifth canto of the Shrimad Bhagavad.

You can watch all of the chapter 6 class videos by clicking on the below links next to the verse numbers.

Chapter 6 introduction: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vb1XAFfVdOM

Chapter 6 verse 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=so3rBDjaLsI

Chapter 6 verse 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cAX7lefTU8c

Chapter 6 verse 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yfvwjr8ff_E

Chapter 6 verse 4: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZydC1ZoP2w

Chapter 6 verse 5: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HfkNxd_x75o

Chapter 6 verse 6: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1HTTmj8Qft8

Chapter 6 verses 7 and 8: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_tFRrsybeHc

Chapter 6 verse 9: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=giVve4xnjnU

Chapter 6 verse 10: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nmx9p47UOz0

Chapter 6 verse 11: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i3VjPCBczRo